Control system for wash water storage and re-use system



Jan. 12, 1960 w. H. HENSHAW, JR 2,920,469

CONTROL SYSTEM FOR WASH WATER STORAGE AND RE-USE SYSTEM Filed Dec. s,1956 :5 Sheets-Sheet 1 F! G. l

hillllillllllfllf INVENTOR.

WALLACE H. HENSHAW IR.

HIS ATTORNEY ER STORAGE AND RE-USE SYS'YIEM Jan. 12, 1960 w. H. HENSHAW,JR

CONTROL SYSTEM FOR WASH WAT Filed D90. 6, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4

m m m w.

WALLACE H. HENSHAW :rn.

ATTORNEY Jan. 12, 1960 w. H. HENSHAW, JR 2,920,469

CONTROL SYSTEM FOR WASH WATER STORAGE AND RE-USE SYSTEM Filed Dec. 6,1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IIQ lu s: 5pm COAST COAST PAgSE OFF WASH A;Est-INA kRmsbAFspm-J 64 m m m as i INVENTOR.

WALLACE H HENSHAW J'R.

WFWQK HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent CONTROL sYsTEMFoR WASH WATERSTORAGE AND ,RE-USE SYSTEM p I Wallace H. Henshaw, Jr., Louisville, Ky.,assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New YorkApplication December fi, 1956, Serial No. 626,701

9 Claims. (Cl. 6812) commonly called a. suds saver system, the hot sudsywash water used in the washing step of an automatic clothes washingmachine may hev passed into a suitable storage reservoir after thewashing step is completed rather than being discharged to I the drain.The sudsy water is retained in the reservoir until the washing machinecompletes its cycle of operation, rinsing and drying the clothes, andtheclothes are taken out of the machine. Then When'another load' of dirtyclothes is placed inthe machine the system is effective to return thesudsy water from the reservoir to' the washing container for washing thesecond load of clothes. This re-use of the sudsy water, of course,provides appreciable savings in both hot water and detergent.

To pass the wash; water to the reservoir for storage, the storageandre-use'systems ordinarily utilize the drain pump of the washing machine.Suitable conduits and valve means are connected to the drain pumpwhereby the wash water may be conducted to the reservoir as the pumpempties the, machine. The drain pump. can not, however, ordinarily beused to return the water from. the reservoir to the machine, andtherefore a separate return pump is provided for that purpose. Thereturn pump is arranged with its inlet connected to the storagereservoir and with its outlet connected to the washing container of themachine, and upon its operation it is effective to withdraw the storedwater from the reservoir and pass it back into the washing container.

It is a primary object of'my: invention to provide a new and improvedelectrical control system for washing ma chines including a wash waterand storage and re-use system, whereby after initially setting thereturn pump in operation, the operator may then leave the machine and itwill automatically proceed into its cycle of operation as soon as allthe stored liquid is returned to the washing container.

It is another object of my invention to provide a control systemincluding automatic switch means for automatically controlling thereturn pump whereby the pump is locked in for so long as the return flowcontinues but is immediately deenergized as soon as all the storedliquid is returned to the washing container.

A further object of my invention is to provide a control system of thelater type which is effective to energize electrically controlled valvemeans connected to a water supply concurrently as the return pump isdeenergized, thereby to supply automatically and immediately any make-upwater needed in addition to the stored liquid to fill the washingcontainer.

My invention also has as its object the provision of a zszatsa controlsystem wherein the operator may at any time terminate the filling of themachine, no matter which is energized the return pump of the water valvemeans, and start, the washing operation simply by operating a singlemanually actuated switch.

In carrying out my invention-I provide a washing ma chine which includesa wash water. storage and return system. This system is arranged forstoring the wash water drained from the machine after the washingoperationv in a suitable storage reservoir, andfor then returning thewater. to the machine for use in a subsequent washing operation. Inorder to return the stored liquid to the machine, the system includes anelectrically controlled return pump, and by my invention an improvedcontrol ofthis pump is provided. My improved control means for thereturn pump include a manually-operated switch for initiating theoperation of the pump and a lockzin switchmeanswhich is thenautomatically operated upon, the; start of the return flow. The lock-inswitch is arrangechto energize the return pump in its operated positionand thus once it is operated, the manual switch may be released. Thelockin switch then holds in the returnapumpuntil the supply of stored liquidin the reservoir is exhausted and it thereupon immediately de-energizesthe return pump. Thus the lock-in switch not only frees the operatorfromattendance on the machine but alsoautomatically causes the return pumpto run only so long as necessary and no longer.

By a further aspect of my-invention the lock-in switch may also beadvantageously employed to control the water inlet'valve means of themachine connected to the household water supply. Specifically thelock-in: switch is so arrangedthat it normally closesthe valve meanscircuit butopens that circuit whenever it closes the return pumpcircuit. Thus the valve means cannot be energized to supply fresh waterwhile the return pump is returning the stored liquid to the machine, butas soon as the return pump ceases operation, the valve means circuit isautomatically and immediately closed. This allows the valve means tosupply any make-up liquid needed in addition to the stored liquid tofill the washing machine to the desired level.

The subiect matter which I regard as my invention is particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this.specification. My invention, however, both as to organization and methodof operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, maybestbe understood 'by reference to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1' is a side elevational view of, a clothes washing machine.including a wash water storage and re-use system suitable for, controlby my new improved control system,

the view being partially broken away and partially in sectionto showdetails;

Fig. 2 is a schematic showing of the storage and reuse systemillustrating one suitable arrangement of my lock-in switch means; Fig.3' is a plan view of the valve means incorporated within the storage andre-use system, the valve means including both a two-way valve and ashut-off valve within the same casing;

Fig. 4 is a schematic cross sectional view of the twoway valve;

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross sectional view of the shutofi valve;

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment: of: my new andimproved control system; and

Fig. 7 is a cam chart showing in extended form the surfaces of thevarious timer driven cams included in the Patented .Jan. 12,, teencontrol system of Fig. 6, thereby to illustrate the sequence ofoperation of the switches controlled by the cams.

Referring now to Fig. 1 I have shown therein an agitator type clotheswashing machine 1 which is provided with a wash water storage and re-usesystem suitable for control by my new and improved control system. Thiscontrol system will be explained hereinafter in detail. The machine 1includes a fabric washing container such as a clothes basket 2 which isdisposed within an outer imperforate tub or casing 3. The tub 3 is inturn mounted within an outer appearance cabinet 4. At the center of thewash basket 2 there is positioned a vertical axis agitator 5 whichincludes a center post 6 and a plurality of radially extending vanes 7.The agitator is further provided with an outwardly and downwardly flaredskirt 3 to which the vanes 7 are joined at their lower ends.

Both the clothes basket 2 and the agitator 5 are rotatably mounted.Specifically, the basket 2 is mounted on a flange 9 of a rotatable hub10, and the agitator 5 is mounted on a shaft (not shown) which extendsupwardly through the hub 10 and the center post 6. The agi tator issecured to the shaft by means of an internally threaded nut or cap 11 atthe top of the center post. During the cycle of operation of themachine, the agitator 5 is first oscillated back and forth within thebasket 2 to wash the clothes therein. Then, after a predetermined periodof this washing action, the basket is rotated at high speed to extractcentrifugally the washing liquid and discharge it into the outer tub 3.Following this extraction operation a supply of clean liquid isintroduced into the wash basket for rinsing the clothes, and theagitator is again oscillated. Finally, the wash basket is once morerotated at high speed to extract the rinse water and discharge it intothe outer tub. Preferably the first extraction operation following thewashing operation is divided into two separate stages of basket rotationseparated by a pause during which the basket does not rotate. Theprovision of this pause, it has been found, aids greatly in avoidingsuds locking of the basket.

The basket 2 and the agitator 5 may be driven by any suitable meanssince their drive means form no part of the present invention. However,by way of example, I have shown them as driven from a reversible motor12. The motor 12 drives the basket and agitator through a driveincluding a clutch 13 which is mounted on the motor shaft. Clutch 13allows the motor to start without load and then pick up the load as itcomes up to speed. The clutch is connected by a suitable belt 14 to theinput pulley 15 of a transmission assembly 16, and it is effective todrive the pulley 15 in both directions of motor rotation. Thus dependingupon the direction of the motor rotation the input pulley of thetransmission is driven in opposite directions.

The transmission 16 is so arranged that it supports and drives both theagitator drive shaft and the basket mounting hub 10. When the pulley 15is driven in one direction by the clutch 13, the transmission causes theagitator 5 to oscillate within the basket 2. Conversely, when the pulley15 is driven in the opposite direction, the transmission drives the washbasket at high speed for centrifugal extraction. Thus, the operationcarried out, i.e., agitation or centrifugal extraction, is controlled bythe direction of rotation of the drive motor, agitation occurring whenthe motor turns in one direction and centritugal extraction occurringwhen it turns in the other direction. Although the drive mechanism formsno part of the present invention, reference is made to the co-pendingapplication of James R. Hubbard et al., S.N. 420,594, now Patent No.2,844,225, filed April 2, 1954, and assigned to the same assignee as thepresent invention. That application discloses in detail the structuralcharacteristics of a transmission assembly suitable for use in theillustrated machine.

In order to drain or empty the machine during the '4 centrifugalextraction operation, there is provided a pump 17 which is secured tothe bottom wall of the tub 3 and which withdraws liquid from the tubthrough a suitable bafile assembly 18. The liquid in the basket 2 is, ofcourse, discharged into the tub 3 during the extraction operations as aresult ofthe centrifugal force created by the basket rotation, and thusit as well as any liquid originally in the tub is drained from themachine by the pump 17. The pump 17 is driven by the motor 12 through aflexible coupling 19 and during the centrifugal extraction operation itdischarges into a hose or conduit 20 which leads to valve means formingpart of the wash water storage and re-use system. Any suitable drainpump may be used but in the illustrated machine there is shown abi-directional pump which discharges into one of two outlets dependingupon the direction of pump rotation. A directional pump of this type isdescribed in detail and claimed in the co-pending application of JohnBochan, S.N. 468,460, now Patent No. 2,883,843, filed November 12, 1954,and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. As mentionedabove during the centrifugal extraction operation the bidirectional pump17 discharges through its one outlet into the hose 20 for either storingthe liquid or discharg ing it to a drain. However, during the washingand rinsing operations the pump discharges into a second outlet which isconnected to a hose 21. This hose 21 leads to a nozzle (not shown) whichdischarges into a filter 22 mounted on the center post of the agitator5. The hose 21 and filter 22 so combined with the bi-directional pumpform a recirculation system for continuously cleaning and filtering thewash liquid during the washing operation. In summary with regard to thepump 17, it will thus be understood that due to the change in thedirection of rotation of the pump, the liquid in the tub 3 is dischargedto the discharge hose 20 during the extraction operations, but iscontinuously recirculated through the recirculation hose 21 during thewashing and rinsing operations. Connected to the hose 20 is a wash waterstorage and re-use system whereby the liquid discharged from the tub 3during the first centrifugal extraction operation following the washingoperation either may be discharged to a suitable drain, or else may bestored in suitable storage means for used wash water such as a set tubor other reservoir while the machine completes its cycle of operationand then be returned to the machine for use in another washingoperation. The arrangement of this storage and re-use system. includingits conduits, valves and pump means, is fully described and claimed inthe copending application of Philip H. Houser, S.N. 626,702, filedconcurrently herewith and assigned to the same assignee as the presentinvention, and it comprises one suitable storage and re-use system withwhich my new and improved control system may be employed. In order tocontrol the disposition of the liquid being emptied from the tub thestorage and return system includes valve means in the form of a two-wayvalve 23. The valve 23, as shown, is incorporated within the same casingas a completely separate shut-off valve 24, whose purpose will beexplained hereinafter, and the valves are separated from each other bymeans of an interior wall 25 of the valve casing (Fig. 3). The two-wayvalve 23 includes a central inlet port 26 which is connected to thedischarge hose 20 of the tub and two separate outlet ports 27 and 28which are connected respectively to a drain hose 29 and a storage hose30. Both of the hoses or conduits 29 and 30 extend out of the casing 4of the washing machine and as may best be seen in Fig. 2 the drain hose29 has its discharge end adapted for emptying into a drain 31 whichleads directly to the household waste line. The storage hose 30 on theother hand has its outer end adapted for communication with, or moreaccurately disposed within, a suitable storage reservoir 32 which ishere shown as a common household set tub. It will thus be seen that ifthe fiow is discharged from the valve 23 to land the port 28 leading tothe storage hose is closedby from the port 28 so as to opencommunication-with-the --'de-energized and the water'is the port 27 andthe hose 29.

"the. drain him" 29 it will be emptied into theurainal In order tocontrol which'ofqthe-hoses 29 o l- 3t! the flow, i.e., in order tocontrol whether the -liquid is emptied to the drain or 'storedgthe valve23 :includes a lpair of valve disks 33 and'34 which are formed as partof a flexible diaphragm 35. The valve disks .:33 and 34 are actuated bymeans of a solenoid 36 through 'agpivoted control member or lever 37..The control lever 37 is pivoted intermediate its ends to the coverplate 38 of the valve casing, and on one side of the pivot is attached*to the valve disk 33 and on the other side of the pivotis attached tothe valve disk 34. The connection to the disk .34 is made through asuitable cross arm 39, as shown.

When the solenoid 36 is de-energized, its armature 40 ;and the lever 37assume the position .illustra'ted in Pig. 4 wherein the port 27leadingto the drain hoseis-op'en the valve disk 33. Conversely, when thesolenoid 36 is energized, the armature 40 is pulled inwardly and the.lever 37 is pivoted so that the-disk 34 closes the port 27 leading tothe drain hose andthe disk 33 is moved, away :storage' hose. In otherwords in the de-energized position of the solenoid 36 communication isprovidedbetween the inlet port 26 and the drain port 27, whereas whenthe solenoid is energized, communication is-provided between the inletport 26 and the storage port 28. Thus :if it is desired to store thewash water, the solenoid v36 :is energized duringthe centrifugalextraction'operation i following'the washing operation. .However, if.itis not desired to store the wash water, then the solenoid is leftpassed to the drain through In order to return the stored water fromthe. reservoir or tub 32 when it is desiredto re-.use it for washinganother load of clothes, there is provided within the system a returnpump 41 which is driven by means of a separate fan cooled, electricmotor 42. The intakelo'f the return pump 41 is connected to thestoragehose at a point '43 intermediate its ends by means of a relatively shortcircuit or hose 44, and the outlet of the pump is connected to'the inletport 45 of the shut-off valve 24 by means of another relatively shortconduit or hose 46. Thus it will be-seen that when the return pump 41 isoperated, it is effective to withdraw the stored liquid .from the tub 32through the outer portion of the storage hose 30 and the hose 44 anddischarge it through the hose 46 to the inlet port 45 of the shut-01fvalve 24.

The valve 24 is provided with a single outlet port 47 and communicationbetween the inlet port 45 and the outlet port 47 is controlled by meansofa valve disk 48 adapted to seat on the inner end of the inlet port.The valve disk 48 is formed as a part of thesame diaphragm as are thevalve disks of the two-way valve 23, and it is actuated by means of thesame solenoid 36 and connected lever 37. The'valve disk 48 isspecifically actu- :ated'to' the lever 37 by the same'cross bar 39 asthevalve disk 34. When the solenoid is in its illustrated or deenergizedposition, the valve disk 48, as shown, is lifted 01f theinlet so thatthe inlet 45 and the outlet 47 of the shut-off valve are in opencommunication. However, when the solenoid 36 is energized, the valvedisk 48 is then moved inwardly to seat on the inlet 45 and close 01f thecommunication between the inlet 'a'nd the outlet. This, of course,closes the valve 24 completely.

The outlet 47 of the shut-oif valve 24 is connected to a return hose 49which is adapted to'discharge into the basket 2. Specifically, the hoseor conduit 49 extends upwardly within the casing of the machine 1 to apoint :above the wash basket 2, and at its upperend is provided with adischarge nozzle 50 which discharges the stored liquid into the basket 2through the open top thereof.

-In summary, the conduit system for returning. the stored--liquid.;fr,om,;the :reservoir 3210 thefwash basket 2 thus comprises:the outergportionof the hose 30 and the hose reservoiris emptiedand;the return flow ceases, the switch 51 immediately de-energizes f'thereturn pump or more specifically tie-energizes its drive motor 42, andsimultaneously conditions other ,of the-electrical components of, themachine so that the. machine automatically prorceedsinto,its'normaloperation. The manner in which the :switch51 is connected inthe control system to effect this result is fully explained hereinafter.

In'my preferredembodimentithe switch 51 comprises a how switch which isresponsive to the flow through the return conduit 49. When there is noflow through the conduitgthe' switch 51 occupies a'first or normalposition. However, when the return pump does pass a flow of liquid.throu'ghithe return those 49,.at that time the switch is operated-shythe flow-to a second ,or. operated position. Although any suitable.flowresponsive switch could be used, the switch 51 is here shown asaipressure responsive switch which is actuated by the increased pressurecreated in a pressure chamber. r52xtwhen there is how. through the hose49.v The .xchamb'er. 52, as shown, opens off the hose '49. and it isconnectedlto'thefswitch 51 by a pressureline or .tube "53. When there:is flow through the hose 49, a pressure is created .inthe chamber 52which compresses the column of.-airv in the line 53 and thereby appliespressure to.thet. switch 51tto. operate it. This pressure specifically'actuates a control diaphragm 54 of the switch so as to operatethe-switch from its normal to its operated'position. .uConversely,-whenthere is. no flow through the .hose, 49, .the' pressure in the chamber52 is at or near atmospheric and .no pressure is applied to thediaphragm 54. 7 Thus the diaphragm and the switch 51 assume their normalpositions. In order to insure that suflicient pressure willibe createdin the chamber 52 to operate theswitch during. the return flow,thereturn hose 49 preferably is provided witha restrictor 55 downstreamof the connection of the chamber 52 to the hose. This r es'trictorcauses a high enough pressure to be developed upstream of it sothattheswitch 51 is positively operated whenever there is flow passingthrough the hose 49.

in order to provide. both for the lock-in control of thereturn pump andfor'the automatic operation of the machine 1 once the return flowceases, the lock-in or flow switch 51 is so arranged that. itcontrolstwo different circuits. First of all it controls a'circuit for operatingthe return pump, i.e.-, .a circuit for energizing the return. pump motor42; and secondly it controls a circuit for energizing the operatingsolenoids 56 and 57 of the hot and cold water valves 58 and59 (Fig 2)which are provided for introducingfresh water into the basket 2. Thefiow switch 51 is so arranged that it can close only one of thesecircuits at a time. More specifically, it is arranged so that in itsnormal position it closes the circuit for the valvesolenoids'whereas inits operated stitute the normally open set of contacts. These two setsof contacts 60, 61, and 62, 61 are connected respectively in seriescircuit relation in the valve and return pump circuits, as will beexplained in detail hereinafter, and thereby the valve means cannot beenergized while the return pump is locked in by the return flow passingthrough hose 49. Thus no fresh water is introduced into the machine solong as the return flow continues. However, since the flow switchreturns from its operated position wherein the contacts 61, 62 areclosed to its normal position wherein the contacts 60, 61 are closedimmediately upon the cessation of the return fiow, it will be seen thatthe valve means circuit will be closed as soon as the return flowceases, i.e. as soon as the reservoir 32 is drained. This, as explainedbelow, automatically allows the valve means to supply any additionalmake-up water needed to fill the machine after the return fiow iscompleted. Further, in my preferred control system, when sufficientmake-up water has been added as a result of the return of the flowswitch to its normal position, then the machine automatically proceedsinto its complete cycle of operations. The switch 51 and diaphragm 54thus constitute means in communication with the hose 49 and responsiveto the flow of water from the storage means to maintain valves 53 and 59closed. Further, the switch 51 and diaphragm 54 are effective inresponse to the completion of the return of the used wash water to openone or both of valves 58, and 59 to supply fresh water to basket 2.

Referring now to Fig. 6 I have shown therein a preferred embodiment ofmy new and improved control system for controlling the variouselectrical components of the machine 1, this system including the flowswitch 51 for controlling the return pump and the water valve solenoidsin the manner mentioned above. In order to control the sequence ofoperation of the machine 1, the system includes a timer motor 63 whichdrives a pinrality of cams 64, 65, 66, 67 and 68. These cams duringtheir rotation by the timer actuate various switches so as to cause themachine to progress through a preferred cycle of operation, firstwashing the clothes, next extracting the wash water from them, thenrinsing the clothes in clean water and finally extracting the rinsewater from the clothes. The electrical circuit as a whole is energizedfrom a two-wire power supply 69, 7t) and the manner in which the variouselectrical components of the machine are connected to this power supplyduring the machine operation will now be explained.

The control system in Fig. 6 is shown in its condition just after thetimer has been rotated manually into the wash range for placing themachine originally in operation. A manual control dial 70a (see Fig. 1)is provided on the timer shaft to permit this or any other desiredsetting of the timer at the discretion of the operator. the operatorthen need only close a manually operable switch 71 to place the machinein operation. One preferred manner of manually controlling the switch 71is to arrange the timer control shaft so that it is axially movable, andmount the switch for actuation by axial movement of the shaft.

Assuming the switch 71 to be closed a circuit is then completed wherebythe solenoid 56 is energized for opening the valve 58 to introduce hotwater into the wash basket 2. If the operator wishes the machine to befilled with fresh water, then she may immediately leave the machine andonce the basket is filled, it will then automatically proceed throughits entire cycle of operation. If she wishes, however, to returnpreviously stored wash water from the tub 32 to the wash basket, ratherthan having it filled with fresh water, she closes a normally openmanually operable switch 72. The closing of the switch 72 completes acircuit energizing the return pump motor 42, and once the return pumpcreates a flow through the return conduit 49, the flow With the timerset in the wash range or step, 1

switch 51 is then actuated so as to lock in the return pump until all ofthe stored liquid has been returned to the wash basket. At the same timeas the flow switch locks in the return pump it opens the valve meanscircuit and thereby no fresh water can be introduced into the machine solong as the return flow continues. However, at the close of the returnflow the valve means circuit is again closed to add any makeup liquidneeded.

To explain first the valve means circuit for introducing fresh Water into the machine, commencing with the supply line 69 the circuit extendsthrough the contacts 73, 74- of a switch 75 which is controlled by thecam 66. As shown, the contacts 73 and 74 are closed together by the cam66 when the timer is in the wash portion of the cycle. It will be noted,incidentally, that the switch 75 further includes another contact 76 andthat the cam 66 can maintain the switch contacts in three differentconditions, i.e., no engagement at all between the contacts at thelowest level of the cam, contacts 73 and 74 engaged at the intermediatelevel of the cam, and all three contacts 73, 74 and 76 engaged at thehigh level of the cam. From the contact 74 the water supply circuitextends through a conductor 77 to a movable contact or arm 78 of aswitch 79 which is controlled by the cam 65. With the timer in the washrange the contact 78 is closed with a contact 80 and from that contactthe circuit extends through a conductor 81 to the hot water solenoid 56.From the solenoid 56 the circuit continues through a conductor 82 andthe normally closed contacts 69, 61 of the flow switch 51 to anotherconductor 83. Since there is no flow in the return conduit 49, it beingassumed that the return pump motor 42 has not been energized, the switch51 is in its normal posi tion with the contacts 60, 61 closed. It willbe noted, however, that if there were flow through the return conduit sothat the contacts 60, 61 were disengaged, in that case the valve meanscircuit could not be energized.

If it is desired to supply warm water to the basket 2 rather than hotWater, then a manually actuated switch 84 is closed. This closes acircuit energizing the solenoid 57 of the cold water valve 59 inparallel with the hot water solenoid 56, whereby both hot and coldwater, i.e., warm water, are supplied to the basket. The closing of theswitch 84 specifically energizes the cold water solenoid 57 betweenconductor 77 and flow switch contact 641 through conductors 85, 86 and87.

From the conductor 83 connected to the movable contact 61 of the flowswitch, the valve circuit continues through a conductor 88 to the timermotor 63 and thence through conductors 89 and 9t and the switch 71 backto the other side 74 of the power supply. From the conductor 83 thecircuit also extends back to the supply line 70 through an alternativepath including both the start winding 91 and the main winding 92 of thedrive motor 12. Specifically the valve circuit extends to the one sideof the main Winding 92 through a conductor 93 and continues from theother side of the winding to the conductor and the power supply througha motor protective device 94 and the contacts 95, 96 of a switch 97controlled by the cam 64. The contacts 95, 96 are, as indicated, closedwhen the timer is in the wash portion of the cycle. The start winding 91is connected in the circuit by means of a double pole, douole throwmotor reversing switch 98 which is controlled by the cam 67. From theconductor 83 the circuit extends to the start winding through contacts99, 1% of this switch and the contacts of a motor operated, centrifugalswitch 101 which is closed when the motor is inoperative. From the otherside of the start winding 91 the circuit is completed through aconductor 102, the contacts 103 and 104 of the motor reversing switch 98and a conductor 105 to the motor protective device 94. From the motorprotective device the circuit extends in the same manner as the circuitfor the main winding 92 through the contacts and 96 of the switch 97,the

Jconriuctorfitl and the .nianually openated switch :71 to the powersupply line 70,

Withthe timer motor 63 andgthe start andzmai-n windrelativelylittleacross the timer and drive motors. This has the result that the solenoid56 is energized to open the valve 58 to admit hot water to the machinebut "the timer and drive motors remain inactive. If switch -84 isclosed, solenoid 57 will be energized too so that cold water is alsointroduced to provide a warm water .filLsolenoids 56 and 57 even whenconnectedin parallel still presenting a much higher impedance than thepar- .allel connected timer and drive motors.

v With thehot water valve or both valves open, water is introduced intothe wash basket .2 tofill it until-such time as the .water reaches thelevel of the overflow aper- :tures 106 provided at the upper endofbasket sidewall (.Fig. 1). When the water reaches this level itthenoverflows through these apertures 106 into the tub v3 "forming a pool ofwater in .thetub. Filling of thehub continues for a short time until aWater levelgresponsive switch 107 (Fig. 2) in the .bottom of the tub-isclosed.

The switch 107 as shown in Fig. -6 is connected directly between theconductors "77 and83 and when it is closed these conductors are therebyshorted together. This shorts out the water val-ve solenoid or solenoidsand. connects the timer motor and .the drive .motor directly :betweenthe conductors 77 .and 90. Both the timer motor and the drive motor arethereby placed in operation to commence the washing operation of themachine.

The switch 107 thus constitutes means effective :to shut off either orboth of valves 58 and 59 when a selected water level (up to apertures106) has, been reached, either by fresh water alone or by a combinationof returned used Water and fresh water. It will be noted that thecircuit in addition to the water level responsive switch 107 alsoincludes a manually operable, water saver switch 108 by means of whichthe conductors 77 and 83 may be shorted together by the operator at anytime. This normaly open, water saver switch provides for terminating thefilling operation and starting the timer and drive motors 63 and 12 whenless than a full load of water has been introduced into basket 2.

Digressing from the operation of the machine which takes place upon theenergizing of'the timer and drive motors, now let it be assumed that theoperator rather than wishing-to fill the machine with fresh water,wishes to use water previously stored innt'he tank 32 to fill themachine. In that case she would manually closethe normally open switch72 after .she had set the timer in the wash range and closed the switch71. The switch 72, as shown, is connected in series circuit relationwith the drive motor 42 of the returnpump'between the conductors 77 and83, specifically by means of conductors-108 and 109, so that the closingofthe switch thereby places power on the return pump motor. The motor 42is of appreciably greater impedance ,thanthe parallel connection of thedriven motor -12 and the timer motor 63, and thereby the voltage dropacross it when the switch 72 is closed is relatively great as comparedto the drop across the timer and drive motors. The closing of the switch72 thus places the motor 42 and thereby the return pump 41 itself inoperation. Thereturn pump immediately begins to withdraw the storedwater from the set tub 32 through the hoses 30 and 44 and pass it intothe basket through the hose 46, the open valve 24 and the return hose49. The shut-off valve 24 is positively maintained open during thisperiod since the cam -68 holds disengaged the contacts 110 and 111 of asWitch IIZ-Whic'h is connected serially in the energizing circuitforvalve solenoid 36, This removes all power fromthesolenoid '36 andthereby :thershnt-otfvalve assumes and ettings in-. its open position.

.As-the return-flow from the reservoir 32 begins IOQPQSS through thereturn hose 49, it then actuates the flow switch 51 from its normal toits operated po'sition. Specifically, the increased pressure in thepressure chamber 52 causes the diaphragm 54 to operate the contact arm61 of the switch 51 so that it moves out of engagement with the contact60 and into engagement with the contact 62. The closing of he contacts61, 62, which areconnected in parallel with the manually operated switch72, provides a holding or lock-in circuit around the switch 72 wherebythat switch may. now be released and the return pump will continue inoperation. Also, it will be noted that the opening of the contacts 60and 61 removes the power from the valve solenoids 56 and 57, whereby *no'resh water is introduced into the machine until' the return flow fromthe set tub 32 ceases.

The return'pump continues to withdraw the stored liquid from the tub 32,with the valve solenoids 56 and 57 de-energized, until substantially allof the stored liquid is removed from the tub. At that time the flowthrough the return hose-49 ceases and the flow switch 51 returns .to itsnormal position, that is, the contact 61 moves out of-engagement withthe contact 62 and into engagement with the conact 60. This removespower from the return pump motor 42 and energizes the circuit for watervalve solenoid or solenoids. The water valves thereby automaticallyintroduce any make-up water necessary to com- .pletethe filling ofthetub. Thus, it will be seen that my new and improved control systemthrough its inclusion of thefiow switch 51 possesses the decidedadvantage of not only automatically shutting off the ,return pump when;all the stored liquid is returned from the set tub, but alsoautomatically actuating the water valves 58 :and59 so that any make-upliquid necessary is added to the wash vbasket. The filling of the tubwith the make-up liquid is, of course, terminated just as when all freshwater is added, by the water level switch 107 being closed when themachine is filled to the desired level. It will be noted also that justas when the basket 2 is being completely filled with fresh water,the'water saver switch 108 may be used to terminate the filling of thebasket at-any time. Since the return pump motor 42 is energized betweenthe conductors 77 and 83, the closing of the switch' 108 is equallyeffective to short out the return pump motor as the water valvesolenoids 56' and 57.

A further feature of the system which will be noted is that since thereturn pump 41 is placed in operation only when the operator closes theswitch 72, she may, if she wishes, allow the machine to be filledpartially with freshwater before she begins to return the stored water.For example, she may at times wish to introduce apartial load of freshhot water to heat upthe stored water to a desired washing level. In thatcase she allows the fresh water valves 58 and 59 to fill the machine fora period before she depresses the switch 72. The water valves of coursecommence operation as soon as the timer is setin the washrange and theswitch 71 is closed. With the wash basket partially filled with freshwater before the return flow from the storage reservoir is started, itis likely that the wash basket 2 will be filled before the. storagereservoir is drained by the return pump. The water level switch 107,however, in this instance termi-. nates the'filling and preventsoverflowing of the machine: just as if the watervalves were energized.Specifically,

the switch 107 is'closed as soon asa small amount of liquidis'overflowed into the tub 3, and its closing shorts; out the "returnpump motor 42 so that the return flowceases. Additionally, its closingplaces the timer motor '63 and drive motor 12in operation so that themachinebegins its washing operation. I

Onc'eeither the -water'level switch 107 or' the water} saver switch 108closed so that'the machine commences; its washing operation, the cycleof operation is thereaftef 11 no different no matter whether freshwater, stored liquid or a combination of both was introduced into thewash basket for washing the clothes. Once either of the switches 107 or108 is closed, both the timer motor and the drive motor are thenenergized with full line voltage as mentioned above, and they therebyboth commence operation. Initially both the main winding 92 and thestart winding 91 of the drive motor 12 are energized, but as soon as themotor comes up to speed the centrifugal switch 101 opens so as to removethe start winding from the circuit.

With the motor reversing switch 98 in the position shown in Fig. 6 thepolarity of the start winding is such that the motor 12 rotates in thedirection for causing operation of the agitator. In other words, oncethe filling of the machine is completed, the motor drives the agitatorwith an oscillatory motion about its axis with the spin basket 2remaining relatively stationary. Besides opening the switch 101 theoperation of the main drive moto'r also causes the closing of a normallyopen, motor operated, centrifugal switch 113 which is connected betweenthe conductors 77 and 83. The closing of this switch 113 results in thepower being kept on the timer and drive motors even if the level ofwater in the tub should decrease below that necessary to keep the switch107 closed. The centrifugal switches 101 and 113 are preferably bothoperated from the same centrifugal mechanism 114 driven by the drivemotor 12.

Concurrently with the operation of the agitator the drive motor 12 alsodrives the pump 17 in a direction to cause flow from the tub 3 into andthrough the re-circulation conduit 21. This results in the wash waterbeing continuously recirculated through the wash basket dur ing thewashing operation, with lint being removed by means of the filter 22 andwith sand flowing out of the basket through a soil removal nozzle 115disposed beneath the agitator skirt 8. T he washing operation continueswith the movement of the agitator and the recirculation fiow until suchtime as the timer motor reaches the region marked pause a in the camchart of Fig. 7. At that point cam 64 opens the contacts 95 and 96 ofswitch 97. This removes power from the drive motor 12 and thereby haltsoperation of the agitator and the pump 17. The stopping of the motor, ofcourse, also results in the opening of the centrifugal switch 113 whichconnected together the conductors 77 and 33 during the wash period.However, power is not removed from the timer motor 63 as a result ofthis opening since a power circuit is still completed to it from theconductor .77 through the valve solenoid 56 or both solenoids 56 and 57if switch 84 is closed. The timer is so constructed that its impedanceis much greater than that of the valve solenoids, and thus it takes upmost of the supply voltage and continues in operation. The solenoids infact assume so little of the voltage that they are not effective to opentheir respective valves 58 and 59.

To point out positively at one place the impedance relationships betweenthe valve solenoids 56 and 57, the timer motor 63 and the drive motor12, it will be understood that when the drive motor and the timer motorare connected in parallel branches in series with the valve solenoids,then the solenoids are operated, but when the drive motor is removedfrom the circuit and only the timer motor is connected in series withthe solenoids, then the timer motor is operated and the solenoids arenot. This latter condition of course exists during pause a.

As the timer continues to run during pause a, it will be noted that thecam 67 causes operation of the motor reversing switch arms or contacts99, 104 from their illustrated position where they engage the contacts100, 103 respectively to a second position wherein the arm 99 engages acontact 116 and the arm 104 engages the contact 100. This has the effectof reversing the polarity of the start winding 91 when power is againapplied to it.

When the timer runs to the end of pause a, at that time the cam 66 firstcloses together all three contacts 73, 74 and 76 of switch and then thecam 64 again closes the contacts 95, 96 of the switch 97. This placespower on both the main winding 92 and the start winding 91 of the drivemotor between conductors 83 and 90. However, since the polarity of thestart winding 91 is now reversed, the motor begins to rotate in thereverse direction from that in which it rotated during the wash period.This has the result that the wash basket 2 is now driven at high speedfor extracting the wash water from the clothes. Further the pump 17 nowdischarges into the discharge hose or conduit 20 rather than into therecirculation conduit 21.

As the water is discharged from the tub 3 through the drain pump 17 andthe hose 211, it may, by means of the storage and reuse system, eitherbe stored in the tub 32 or discharged into the drain 31 at the option ofthe operator. It will be noted that during pause a prior to the start ofthe spin period, the cam 68 closes the contacts 110, 111 of the switch112. This has the effect of readying the solenoid 36 for energization ifthe operator of the machine closes a manual save suds switch 117.Assuming that the operator does close the switch 117, the solenoid 36 isthen energized between the supply conductors 69, 70 during the spinperiod. From the conductor 69 the energizing circuit extends to solenoid36 through the contacts 73, 74 of switch 75 and the conductors 77 and118. From the other side of the solenoid the circuit is completedthrough the manually operated switch 117, the conductor 119, thecontacts 110, 111 of switch 112, the conductor and the switch 71 to thepower supply line 70. With the solenoid 36 energized by this circuit,the valve disk 34 is seated on the drain port 27 of the two-way valve23, and the valve disk 33 is moved out of engagement with the storageport 28. As a result the water entering the valve 23 through the intakeport 26 is discharged into the storage hose 3t] and conducted through itinto the set tub 32. There is, of course, no loss of flow through thereturn pump 41 and its connected hoses since the shut-off valve 24 isclosed whenever the solenoid 36 is energized. In other words the valvedisk 48 is seated on the port 45.

Alternatively if the operator should not wish to save the wash water butrather to direct it to the drain 31, in that case she does not close theswitch 117. The switch 117 inicidentally may be closed any time beforethe machine is set in operation or any time during the wash period. Ifthe switch 117 is not closed, the solenoid 36 will not be energized andthereby the valves 23 and 24 are not operated to their storagepositions. Rather they are left in their illustrated position whereinthe intake and drain ports 26 and 23 of the valve 23 are in opencommunication, so that the flow thereby passes through the drain hose 29to the drain 31.

The rotation of the spin basket and the draining or storing of the washliquid continues until the timer reaches the first coast period, thetimer of course being energized concurrently with the drive motorbetween the conductors 83 and 911 during the spin period. When the coastperiod is reached, at that time the cam 64 opens the contacts 95, 96 ofswitch 97 for a brief period. This removes power from the drive motor 12and allows the basket 2 to coast toward a stop. It has been found thatthis interruption of the spin period is very effective in avoiding sudslocking of the basket. The positions of the other cam operated switchesare not changed at this point of the machine operation so that the timermotor continues to run during this first coast period.

At the end of the first coast period the cam 64 again closes thecontacts 95, 96 of switch 97. This places power once more on the drivemotor 12 and it again begins to drive the wash basket and the drainpump. As this second portion of the wash spin period proceeds, the waterdischarged from the tub 3 is either stored or 39.5, 96 and removes powerfrom the drive motor.

13 passes to the drain 31 as before depending upon .-how the operatorhas set the switch 117.

The spin period with the saving or draining of the wash Water continuesuntil such time as thesecond coast period is reached. At that time thecam 64-opens the contacts The .drivingforce is thereby removed from thewash basket 2 andit begins to coast to a stop. Asthe coast periodcontinues, the cam 65 operates the switch arm 78 of switch 79 so that itno longer engages contact 80 but rather is brought into engagement witha contact 12 3. Also, cam .66-disengages the contacts 74 and 76 ofswitch 75 so that only contacts 73 and 74' remain .in engagement. Theoperation of these switches, however, does not remove power from thetimer motor 63 since it is .now energized through the solenoid 57 of thecold water valve 59. Specifically, once the contacts 74 and 76 aredisengaged, the circuitaforthe timer motor then extends through contacts73, 74 of switch 75, conductor 77, switch arm '78 .and contact 120 ofswitch 79, conductor 86, the cold water solenoid 57, conductor 87,contacts 60 and 61 of the how switch 51 and the conductors '83 and 88 tothe timer motor. The circuit is completed from the other side of thetimer motor through the conductors -89 and 90and the manually operatedswitch 71 as before. As

mentioned above the impedance of the timer motor-63 is considerablygreater than that of the valve solenoid 57 whereby thetimer motorcontinues to run but there is not enough of a voltage drop across thesolenoid 57 to cause opening of the cold water valve.

Besides the switching operation performed by the cams 65 and 66, the cam67 also operates the motor reversing switch 98 during this coast period.Specifically, it once more reverses the position of the contacts arms-99and Y104- bringing them into engagement respectively with the contacts100 and 103. This reverses the polarity of the start winding 91 back toits original connection. The cam .68 also operates its contacts 110, 111separating them so thatthe valve control solenoid 36 of thestorageand'reuse system is no longer energized.

The second coast period continues with the timer motor running untilsuch time as the cam 64 closes the contacts 95 and 96 of switch 97. Thisconnects the start and main windings of the drive motor-in parallel withthe timer motor 63, and thereby a relatively low impedance is presentedbetween the conductors 83 and 90. The supply voltage thereby dividesdifferently with the greater portion of the voltage drop now appearingacross the valve solenoid 57-and a relatively low voltage drop occurringacross the timer motor 63 and the windings of the drive motor 1 2. Thetimer motor immediately stopsrunningand the solenoid 57 opens the coldwater'valve 59 introducing cold rinse water into the wash basket 2. Ifit is desired to introduce warm water rather than cold water into thebasket 2 for rinsing the clothes, in that case a manual :switch 121 isclosed by the operator. The switch 120 when closed connects the ,hotwater solenoid56-in parallel withthe coldwater solenoid 57 and therebycauses opening-of the hot water valve 58 in addition to the cold water"valve59. With both valves 58 and 59 open, both hot and cold water areintroduced whereby the basketis filled with warm. water for rinising;

The machine continues to fill with rinse water until such-time assufiicient water is overfiowed into the tub 3 to close the water levelswitch 107, or else the water saver switch 108 is manually operated.When either. of these occur, the water valve solenoid or solenoids areshorted out and the conductor 83 is connected directly to the conductor77. This again applies line voltage to both the drive motor and thetimer motor. The timer motor thereby begins to drive cams 6468 and thedrive motor begins to drive the agitator 5 with an oscillatory motion inthe wash basket. Also, of course, the drive motor drives the pump .17.in the direction to recirculate the rinse water through the basket 2.The rinsing operation continues power from the drive motor. continues torun, and during the pause, the cam 67 again ,until the second pause,i.e.,' pause b,-is reached. At that time the cam 64 again opens thecontacts95, 96 removing The timer motor however ..clothes. Also, withthe motor running in the centrifugal extraction direction the pump 17.is driven in a direction .so that the water in the tub is dischargedthrough the discharge hose 20. This rinse water passes through thetwoway .valve '23 and out of the machine through the drain hose .29 intothe drain 31. Since the cam 68 positively opens the cotnacts 110, 111during this period, the

solenoid36 cannot be energizedand thereby the storage port 28 .of thevalve 23 .is closed and thedrain. port 27 is openf The spin operationcontinues until such time as the: cam 66 opens all of the contacts 73,74 and 76 of the switch 75. This removes the power completely from allthe components of the machine 1 and it thereby comes to .astop. The.clean clothes may then be removed from the machine.

Summing up with regard to my new and improved control system it will beseen that with this system the operatorhas thechoice of either usingentirely fresh water or,,if she has stored the wash liquid after aprevious washing operation, of returning this stored liquid to themachine or using any combination of fresh or stored liquid.

After setting either the return pump or the water. inlet valve means inoperation, the operator may then leave the machine and .it willautomatically proceed into its cycle of operation as soon as the liquidcontainer is filled either with the stored liquid, the fresh liquid orthecombination of both. In this automatic control sequence the returnpump is automatically locked-in so long as it is returning the storedliquid from the reservoir to the washing container and then isimmediately de-energized assoonxas the reservoir is drained. Further, asthe return pump is de-enerigzed the water inlet valve meansareconcurrently operated so that any make-up liquid needed in .additionto the stored liquid tofill the washing machine is automatically andimmediately added. Also, ,it will be'noted thatthe system is such thatthe operator may at any time terminate the filling of the machine, nomatter which is energized, the return pump or the water valve means, andstartthe washing operation simply by operatinga single manually operatedswitch.

While in accordance with the patent statutes I have described what atpresent is considered to be the preferred embodiment of my invention itwill be obvious to those skilled in the art that variouschangesandmodifications may be made thereinwithout departing from the invention,and it is, therefore, aimed the appended claims to cover all suchchanges and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of.the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. In a clothes washing machine, a water container,

electrically operated valve means for filling said container,

315 return pump until the supply of stored liquid in said reservoir isexhausted and for then de-energizing said return pump, and said lock-inswitch means normally closing the energizing circuit for said valvemeans and opening said circuit when operated to lock-in said returnpump, whereby said valve means are ale-energized during the return flow,said valve means circuit being closed by said lock-in switch meansimmediately upon the cessation of the return flow.

2. In a clothes washing machine, a water container, electricallyoperated valve means for filling said container, means for draining saidcontainer, means for storing the liquid drained from said container in astorage reservoir, means including a return pump and conduit means forreturning the stored liquid from said reservoir back into saidcontainer, a manually operated switch for initially energizing said pumpto start the return flow of said liquid, and a flow switch responsive tosaid return flow arranged for locking in said return pump andmaintaining said valve means de-energized for so long as said fiowcontinues, and for then de-energizing said return pump and closing theenergizing circuit for said valve means when said flow ceases.

3. In a clothes washing machine, a water container, electricallyoperated valve means for filling said container, means for draining saidcontainer, means for storin the liquid drained from said container in astorage reservoir, means including a return pump and conduit means forreturning the stored liquid from said reservoir back into saidcontainer, a manually operated switch for initially energizing said pumpto start the return flow of said liquid, and a flow switch responsive tosaid return flow arranged for locking in said return pump andmaintaining said valve means de-energized for so long as said flowcontinues, and for then de-energizing said return pump and ClOSing theenergizin circuit for said valve means when said flow ceases, and asecond manually actuated switch arranged for de-energizing whichever ofsaid return pump or said valve means is energized for manuallyterminating the filling of said container at any time.

4, In a clothes washing machine, a water container, electricallyoperated valve means for filling said container, means for draining saidcontainer, means for storing the liquid drained from said container in astorage reservoir, means including a return pump and conduit means forreturning the stored liquid from said reservoir back into saidcontainer, a manual control means for initially energizing the pump tostart the return flow of said liquid, and a flow switch responsive tosaid return fiow arranged for locking in said return pump andmaintaining said valve means de-energized for so long as said flowcontinues, and for then de-energizing said return pump and closing theenergizing circuit for said valve means when said flow ceases, and aliquid level switch responsive to the level of liquid in said containerfor deenergizing whichever of said return pump or said valve means isenergized when the liquid level in said container reaches apredetermined level, thereby to terminate the filling of said containerand prevent overflowing of said machine.

5. In a clothes washing machine, a water container, electricallyoperated valve means for filling said container, means for draining saidcontainer, means for storing the liquid drained from said container in astorage reservoir, means including a return pump and conduit means forreturning the stored liquid from said reservoir back into saidcontainer, and means for controllin said return pump and said valvemeans comprising a normally open, manualy operated switch, a fiow switchresponsive to the flow through said conduit means and havin a set ofnormally open contacts and a set of normally closed contacts, said tlowswitch closing said normally open contacts and opening said normallyclosed contacts in response to flow through said conduit means, acircuit for said pump including said manually operated switch l5 andsaid normally open contacts of said flow switch connected in parallelbranches in series circuit relation with said return pump, whereby saidmanually operated switch is arranged for initiating operation of saidreturn pump and said flow switch is arranged for thereafter holding saidpump in operation for so long as the flow through said conduit meanscontinues, and a circuit for energizing said valve means includin saidnormally closed contacts of said flow switch connected in series circuitrelation with said valve means, whereby said valve means cannot beenergized during the duration of the return flow but are immediatelyenergized upon the cessation of said flow to supply any additionalliquid required to fill said container.

6. In a clothes washing machine, washing and extracting means includinga rotatable clothes basket, a drive motor for driving said washing andextracting means, a timer for controlling the sequence of operations ofsaid machine, an imperforate tub enclosing said basket, electricallyoperated valve means for filling said basket with liquid, means fordraining liquid from said tub, means for storing the liquid drained fromsaid tub in a storage reservoir, means including a return pump andconduit means for returning the stored liquid from said reservoir backinto said basket, and means for controlling said pump and said valvemeans comprising a normally open, manually operated switch, a flowswitch responsive to the flow in said conduit means and having a set ofnormally open contacts and a set of normally closed contacts, said flowswitch closing said normally open contacts and opening said normallyclosed cotacts in response to flow through said conduit means, anenergizing circuit for said return pump including said manually operatedswitch and said normally open contacts of said flow switch connected inparallel branches in series circuit relation with said return pump,whereby said manually operated switch is arranged for initiating theoperation of said return pump and said flow switch is arranged forthereafter holding said pump in operation for so long as the fiowthrough said conduit means continues, a circuit for energizing saidvalve means including said normally closed contacts of said flow switchconnected in series circuit relation with said valve means, whereby saidvalve means cannot be energized during the duration of the return flowbut are immediately energized upon the cessation of said flow to supplyany additional liquid required to fill said container, and circuit meansfor deenergizing whichever of said return pump or said valve means isenergized when the liquid in said machine reaches a pre-detennined leveland for concurrently energizing said drive motor and said timer, saidcircuit means including a normally open, liquid level switch arranged toclose when said predetermined liquid level is reached, and conductorsconnecting said liquid level switch in parallel with the valve meanscircuit and the return pump circuit and in series circuit relation withsaid timer and said drive motor.

7. In a clothes washing machine, a water container, electricallyoperated valve means for filling said container, means for draining saidcontainer, means for storing the liquid drained from said container in astorage reservoir, means including a return pump and conduit means forreturning the stored liquid from said reservoir back into saidcontainer, and means for controlling said pump and said valve meanscomprising a normally open, manually operated switch, a flow switchresponsive to the flow through said conduit means and having a set ofnormally open contacts and a set of normally closed contacts, said fiowswitch closing said normally open contacts and opening said normallyclosed contacts in response to flow through said conduit means, acircuit for said pump including said manually operated switch and saidnormally open contacts of said flow switch connected in parallelbranches in series circuit relation with said return pump, whereby saidmanually operated switch is arranged for initiating operation of saidreturn pump and said flow switch is arranged for thereafter holding saidpump in operation for so long as the return flow through said conduitmeans continues, and a circuit for energizing said valve means includingsaid normally closed contacts of said flow switch connected in seriescircuit relation with said valve means, whereby said valve means cannotbe energized during the duration of said return flow, but areimmediately energized upon the cessation of said flow to supply anyadditional liquid required to fill said container, and a manuallyoperated switch arranged for de-energizing both said valve means circuitand said return pump circuit thereby to provide for terminating thefilling of said container at any time no matter whichever of said returnpump or said valve means is energized.

8. In an automatic washing machine, washing and extracting meansincluding a rotatable clothes basket, a drive motor for driving saidwashing and extracting means, a timer for controlling the sequence ofoperations of said machine, an imperforate tub enclosing said basket,electrically operated valve means for filling said basket with liquid,means for draining liquid from said tub, means for storing the liquiddrained from said tub in a storage reservoir, means including a returnpump and conduit means for returning the stored liquid from saidreservoir back to said basket, manually operated switch means forinitially energizing said return pump to start the return flow of saidliquid, and additional lock-in switch means operated upon the initiationof the return flow for controlling both the return pump and said valvemeans, said lock-in switch means being arranged for looking in saidreturn pump until the supply of stored liquid in said reservoir isexhausted and for then de-energizing said return pump, and said lock-inswitch means normally closing the energizing circuit for said valvemeans and opening said circuit when operated to lock in said returnpump, whereby said valve means are de-energized during the return flow,said valve means circuit being closed by said lock-in switch meansimmediately upon the cessation of the return flow, and a liquid levelswitch responsive to the level of liquid in said tub, said liquid levelswitch being connected to de-energize whichever of said return pump orsaid valve means is energized when the liquid in said tub reaches apre-determined level and to concurrently energize said drive motor andsaid timer to commence the washing operation.

9. In an automatic washing machine having a fabric Washing container forthe reception of Water at a selected washing level, means for storingused wash water following a washing operation and for returning the sameto said container for a subsequent washing operation, said meansincluding a pump and a conduit, means including a valve for supplyingfresh unused water to said container, means in communication with saidconduit and responsive to the flow of used wash water from said storagemeans to said fabric Washing container effective to maintain said freshunused water valve in closed position and further particularlycharacterized by being effective to cause opening of said valve tosupply fresh un used Water to said washing container following thecompletion of the return of said used wash water to said container, andmeans efiective to cause operation of said valve to shut off the flow offresh unused water when said selected washing level has been reached bythe combined used wash water and fresh unused water.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,402,187 Silver June 18, 1946 2,604,497 Morrison July 22, 19522,680,168 Murphy June 1, 1954 2,741,677 Clendenin Apr. 10, 19562,784,582 Hartung et al. Mar. 12, 1957

